US lawmakers hail G8 agreement on global warming

US lawmakers have welcomed the agreement reached by G-8 countries in Italy on global warming.    

At the summit meeting in Italy yesterday, leaders of the G-8 countries — the top eight powerful economies of the world — agreed in principle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries by 80 per cent by 2050.    

"The agreement reached by the G-8 today demonstrates that (the US) President (Barack) Obama and the international community are committed to addressing climate change, and doing so with great urgency," Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said.    

"This underscores the importance of the American Clean Energy and Security legislation passed by the House last month because the United States will be negotiating in Copenhagen with the weight of strong congressional action," she added.    

With this legislation, America has shown that we are ready to lead the world in transforming to a clean energy economy and create millions of new jobs, she argued.    

"And at the G-8 Summit in Italy, world leaders have shown their commitment to strong international action to address climate change. We will work with all countries of the world to address the greatest challenge of our time," Pelosi added.